Vehicle exteriors accumulate road grime during use. Depending on the season, road grime may comprise bugs, tar or salt, as well as exhaust particulates, tire residues, leaking vehicle fluids and the like. The oily dirty residue within engine compartments comprises a similar mix of contaminants, but which are significantly carbonized by heat from the engine. With respect to the latter, removing this carbonized oily dirt may require a degreaser rather than a conventional cleaner.
Engine degreasers often include one or more hazardous and/or undesirable components, for example, petroleum based and/or halogenated solvents that may be classified as VOCs, highly caustic media, and/or silicates. Such aggressive degreasers have to be carefully applied to avoid damaging the vehicle's exterior.
Engine degreaser compositions may also include phosphates. While phosphates are effective sequestering agents and provide for more effective rinsing of the cleaner from the treated substrate, they are environmentally unfriendly as they promote algae and other plant growth. Consequently, municipalities are restricting or banning the use of phosphate products that may enter the watershed.
Achieving degreasing effectiveness within the constraints of low VOCs, desirable alkalinity levels and low phosphate concentration has proved difficult.